Social Media | Marketing | PR

1. Hashtags

Are you hashtaging the wrong things or worse not hashtagging at all?

Believe it or not hashtags are crucial to building your social media following. What happens when you add a hashtag to your post is Facebook immediately indexes the post with other posts that discuss the same topic or include the same keyword(s). More hashtags mean more visability yes, but too many hashtags is well, too many! Make sure to be specific and strategic when you hashtag.

2. Links

Simply put the website link you add to your post will either drive traffic to your site or away from it.

Two things to consider when adding a link to a Facebook post:

Is this link valuable enough to my audience that it is worth not directing them to my website? If yes, then add it. You want to gift your audience with valuable information and sometimes that means sending them to an outside link. (Keyword: sometimes)

Is this link driving traffic to the right page on my website? Where you direct your audience is crucial. If you direct someone to a page on your site that doesn’t provide a service or add value it may cause them to hop off your site quickly and that will negatively effect your sites analytics.

3. Videos

Are you creating and/or sharing videos on Facebook? If the answer is no, you’re making a HUGE mistake!

This is very important specifically for Facebook because of its new algorithm. Facebook is making a huge push for the use of native video features, such as Facebook Live. Basically what that means is video is and will continue receiving more favorability in your audiences Facebook feed. Don’t let this intimidate you; with a little creativity you too can add video content to your feed.

4. Posting

It used to be the more you posted the more likely you were to show up in someone’s feed, but not anymore. Less is more, so much more!

Stop spending crazy amounts of time producing “good” content and focus on creating and optimizing the type of content that is really working. The better the content the more likely someone will pay attention to it and the longer someone pays attention to it, the more favor it receives in the algorithm. You can fill in the gaps with low traffic driving content but be sure you’re only “boosting” the unicorns.

5. Boosting

Speaking of boosting a post, don’t be too quick to pull the boost trigger. Content that deserves boosting is content that is organically receives more engagement that your other posts – we call these “unicorns.” Only unicorns deserve boosting. Say it with me, “Only unicorns deserve boosting!”

Another thing to remember is not to boost content that drives traffic to someone else’s site or Facebook page – this does not help you, it only costs you. If you’re spending money on a boost make sure you’ve determined there is a return on that investment. A valuable return can include more Facebook page likes, increased website traffic, post shares, or purchases.

The Desire Map, Fire Starter Sessions and more! She sends daily “Truth Bombs” to my inbox that give me the appropriate swift kick in the rear to keeping moving forward. I have a feeling she would light up any dinner party.

She is a hippie, New Yorker, Surfer, and Mother Theresa all wrapped in one. I’ve seen her speak once and I was captivated. She’s your best friend, sister, cheerleader, and mom in one person. I would love to stroll down Venice Blvd. with her and just listen to her commentate on our surroundings.

Super down to earth, and absolutely brilliant. Her videos blogs continue to inspire and motivate me to be the most successful and fulfilled version of myself. She is the master mind behind B School, a virtual business school for entrepreneurs that I just might have to attend one day.

This man is a pioneer. He is a pure entrepreneurial genius. I want to soak up his intelligence and basque in his creativity. I think a conversation with him would leave me beyond inspired and ready to take on the world.

“Lean In” has made me value myself more as a woman, but more specifically as a business woman. I am worth every bit that I believe I am worth and no man (or woman) determines that value but me. Thanks Sheryl for making me feel so empowered.

This is a 2 for 1 deal! Jacki Carr and Mary Beth LaRue are amazing trailblazers promoting true bliss through powerful coaching and yoga. One day I will go on a retreat with these beauties, but until then I will just follow them on all forms of social media.

What can I say? I’m a sucker for a successful and strong willed woman. Oh ya, and Richard Branson.

Who are your career crushes? Maybe you don’t refer to them as that so I’ll ask, who are your mentors? Who inspires you to reach for the stars? I could name many more amazing people, but I’ll stop at 8 today.

If you aren’t currently crushing on anyone don’t worry I’m not the jealous type, you can borrow of few of my favorites. Having a mentor isn’t a requirement to be successful, but it certainly is an advantage.

I look to these people for guidance on the regular and am always left happier when I do.

I don’t know about you but I find inspiration all around me. Many times through conversations with other people or an article I’ve read or an ad on tv – inspiration can be found in the littlest moments of our day if we choose to see it. That leads me to this idea of originality – nothing, yes nothing, is original. Everything we do, say, or even think is prompted by something we’ve seen, heard, been taught or inspired by.

One of my favorite quotes is below and I hope is serves as a reminder to you not to give up on whatever it is you want to do or be because you’re afraid someone else has already done it or could do it better. You have the inspiration for a reason – now run with it!

Nothing is original.

Steal from anywhere that resonates with inspiration or fuels your imagination.

Select only things to steal from that speak

directly to your soul.

Authenticity is invaluable; originality is non-existent.

And don’t bother concealing your thievery

celebrate it if you feel you like it.

In any case always remember what Jean-Luc Godard said:

“It’s not where you take things from – it’s where you take them to.”

-Jim Jarmusch

I encourage you to be more aware of little moments of inspiration today. What sparks your creativity? Is the aroma of the flowers as you’re walking your dog? The laughter from children playing across the street? Whatever it is, take note of it. You never know, it could be that final push you needed to complete a project or the last piece to that puzzle you haven’t been able to crack. So go on, get out there and be inspired!

Last night I was sitting on my bed just brain storming and daydreaming about what I want to accomplish in the very near future. I was super inspired by a conversation I had with my friend Jacki a few hours earlier. She simply asked me what are two of my goals? I quickly answered with, be an author and establish a non-profit. What I didn’t expect was for her to say, “then do it. whatever it is you want to do start now.” She basically explained that I’ll never be at the perfect place of “ready” or the right amount of “professional” to begin something, if I’m passionate about it I should start now. I’ve heard this said many times in many different ways but for some reason the way she said it so plainly and matter of fact resonated with me. I realized in that moment that there are so many little steps I can take now that will land me in the right place before I know it.

I don’t know about you but I’ve always been a person who doesn’t begin something until I feel pretty well prepared to do so. I’ve realized that in the past I’ve actually kept myself from experiences and opportunities because of my need to first feel like I had all my ducks in a row. Now, this doesn’t mean I’m not spontaneous because trust me I can fly by the seat of my pants. What I mean for example is my inability to begin writing my book because I felt like I didn’t have all the chapters figured out and all the quotes and references on paper. Instead of just doing some creative writing that would have gotten me a lot further along than I am now, I restrained myself from the opportunity to gradually build on something. This realization really sunk in last night. I no longer want to hold back on my ideas or creativity, instead I want to make any little stride I possibly can towards meeting my goals.

That’s when I decided to have a 60 second goal session. Have you ever rapidly written down things you want or would like to see happen? Maybe you’ve created a vision board or formally developed a goal sheet. This is similar and what I believe to be super effective. Without taking the time to perfect your goals or get inside your head just start writing down things you want for your life. Maybe this is just in the next year or maybe the next ten years. I did this last night without hesitation or taking the time to stop and think about each goal I had just written down. And this is the little bit of magic I came up with in my rapid fire:

non profit

2 public speaking gigs

buy a house

go on a retreat

get another dog

start a garden

practice yoga (more)

write/publish a book

gain an online following

create an app

start (business name here)

work for myself

speak at high schools

meet gabrielle bernstein

go on a romantic getaway

live dairy free

live headache free

visit home at least once a year

maintain a savings account

host an event

have chickens/bunnies/pig

in home women’s group

marry my love

become an ASM

start paying off my car

go on more walks

hike more

have a coffee date once a week

enjoy 1 real day off a week

inspire others to dream BIG

travel, travel, travel

meditate daily

create my own space

drink more green juice

start making to-do lists

wake up early

call home more

read a book a month

build an in-home library

I must say at the end of the 60 (maybe more) seconds I was pretty amazed with what my brain spewed out. All of the things I wrote down are in my head and needed to be released so they can finally manifest. I can’t even describe the relief that came from the shortest goal session of my life. I now have a tangible list of things I already knew I wanted in and for my life that I can look at on a regular basis and check in with myself. Am I reading a new book each month? Have I had enough green juice? Am I making time to meditate, go on walks, call home? If you have never or maybe just haven’t in awhile taken the time to write out some goals, those things that are flooding your brain waiting to be released, I encourage you to take 60 seconds today to spew out some magic on paper. If your anything like me you will walk away feeling accomplished and inspired.